The secret weapon for an anxious world.

• Author: Hall, Robert
• Position: MARKETING SOLUTIONS

WE HAVE TRULY BECOME THE NATION OF HIGH ANXIETY. It seems that as the wealthiest, most stable nation in the world we have really been on a stress binge over the past few decades. Surely the calamity of this economy--unemployment, housing collapse, epic decline of 401(k)s and government budget crises--has not helped. But we started down the path several decades ago. How does this state of marketplace anxiety inform our strategic marketing direction?

First some background on the magnitude of our stress from Taylor Clark's forthcoming book: "Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool." He makes the bold claim, supported by ample research, that we are the most anxious nation in the world. Surely citizens of less developed nations where poverty, food shortage and oppressive governments would be more stressed than those in this nation of plenty? Not really. According to the World Mental Health Survey people in developing-world countries such as Nigeria are only one fifth as likely to show clinically significant levels of anxiety as Americans despite very challenging life conditions. Furthermore, when immigrants from these countries come to the United States, they quickly become just as stressed as we are.

Our elevated anxiety is not a recent phenomenon. It has been building for decades and now 18 percent of adults suffer from anxiety disorder in any given year. Further an average high school student now has the same level as an average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.

An unending stream of data

So why are we so stressed? There are many reasons. In an age of constant and updated information we get an unending stream of exciting and scary news, both of which add to our stress. Whether good news--like the stock market is up a 100 points today or scary news--we are overdrawn; our steady stream of information constantly incites us to action. One must only observe at the end of a meeting as all eyes jump to their smart devices to see exactly how soon and how high they are to jump in response to the latest news. Research has shown that beyond a certain point getting more frequent and detailed information does not improve decision-making, although it almost surely drives up stress. Some scientists speculate that our brain is simply not wired to handle the volume of information that we now process.

Obviously there are other reasons for our stress. Fear of job loss, personal security, terrorism, travel...